Seeking Justice
by This Little Lady
Summary: ON HIATUS! Heiress Mimi Tachikawa's life is in danger and special agent Yamato Ishida is there to help. Will romance bloom for these former lovers? With an assasin watching their every move, protecting her was his mission. INCOMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Here's my new story! It's different from my previous stories and it's my first mystery fic. I hope you all will enjoy it. Before anything else, I'd like to thank all those people that have stayed with me and supported me with my stories. You are the ones that inspire me and keep me motivated! I'm so happy with the huge success of 'The Sweetest Revenge.' It's nearing its 200 mark! Thanks to all ofyou for the wonderful, and not so wonderful, reviews. I hope that you will support this story, and enjoy it as much as you did with my four fics. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This story is about a girl running for her life and a boy doing all he can to keep her alive. I got this from this book I just finished by Sylvie Kurtz. I'll be changing some stuff and probably make it as interesting as possible. There will be a lot of characters, some from Digimon and some OC. Mostly Mimato.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon. All original characters in this story are mine.

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+ **_SEEKING JUSTICE_** +

**Chapter 1:**

Mimi Tachikawa was watching cable television in yet another cheap motel when Deputy Kushner's chair was thrown backwards. His body toppled against the television screen blocking a wet Mary Jane talking to a hanging Spiderman. In the next instant the lamp on her bedside table shattered, throwing the room into flickering darkness. WSP Inspector Phillip McNair tackled her to the bloodstained beige carpet and shoved her toward the connecting door between their rooms. "Stay low."

She knew the drill by now. Pulse frantic and hyperventilating, she crawled to the bathroom, still steamy from Phil's shower, and stayed low on the floor. _So much for witness security_, she thought. Three weeks, three relocations, three dead bodyguards. She didn't even know where she was, what day it was, she doesn't even remember her current alias. It was all too much. Her chest cracked under the spasm of her tears. When would this nightmare end?

Phillip shouted into his cell phone. At this moment, Mimi would give anything to slip into Kirsten Dunst's role and do that upside down kiss with Tobey Maguire under the rain. Even rain sounded good. Maybe it could wash away the image of blood constantly tainting her vision.

The next thing she knew, someone was tugging on her elbow. She blinked up at him and mistook his gray and brown air and brown eyes for her father's. Phillip just yanked her to her feet. "Time to go."

Even though there were half a dozen armed men patrolling the parking lot, Phillip scanned every shadow as he led her to the waiting armored car with the tinted window. He barely slammed the door shut before the car sped off.

Mimi sank into the seat that smelled of cigarette smoke and canned deodorizer and let her head rest against the window. "I can't do this anymore."

Phillip patted her elbow, "Ten more days, princess. Once the trial's over, you'll be safe."

She tried to draw reassurance from the man who became her lifeline in the past year since her camera lens captured her father's murder at the hands of his partner. But the soul-deep fear wouldn't leave. Safe? She didn't think she'd ever feel safe again. "I can't."

"Don't you want to clear your father's name? Don't you want to see Sheer pay for his crimes?"

"I just want my life back."

"If that Sheer guy is set free, you never will."

_You won't ever be free from me, Mimi. I won't ever let you go. I'll be in your dreams and in your nightmares. I'll follow you wherever you go._

Somehow, even in prison, Michael Sheer managed to hunt her. When was the last time she managed to sleep without having a nightmare about him? "Ten days is a long time to stay alive when my bodyguards keep dying."

Phil's jaw seemed to sag with the weight of the responsibility. "I'll keep you safe. I promise."

But doubt tailed her from the three hour journey to the cheap motel and even in the shower. It filled her mind as she lay on the motel bed with sheets that were too stiff and a pillow that was too flat.

Phillip checked the doors and windows, made a quick call, and then slid into the second bed fully dressed. "Try to get some sleep."

That was the code phrase for _'We'll be moving again tomorrow morning.'_

She aimed the remote at the television, turned the volume down low and flicked through the channels until she landed on _The Sound of Music_. As Julie Andrews sang her heart out to the mountains, Mimi relaxed. Then later, as the German's chase the Von Trapp family, her doubts mutated into a fear so sharp, it cut her breath.

Someone knew, and not just anyone, someone on the inside. How else could they have found her? She trusted Phillip. She believed he had her best interests at heart.

She looked over to the man who became her friend ever since she started this program. Deep lines surrounded his mouth and wrinkled his forehead and the skin under his eyes were colored purple, eyes that were kind and understanding just like her father's.

But he couldn't keep her safe…no one could. Michael Sheer had too much to lose by letting her live.

WSP or Witness Security Programtook everything from her and erased her past as if she never existed. But it wasn't enough. Michael remembered her and he wouldn't let go. Not when she was the only thing between him and his freedom.

Somehow she knew he was the one doing all this and would keep on doing until she was dead. Then the town, the company, the house, and everything that was still part of her fondest memories would be his to abuse and destroy.

If she was to stay alive to avenge her father and make sure his murderer never left prison or touch her beloved town, if she was to have a chance once again to live an ordinary life, she should trust no one.

When Phil's gentle snores told her he was asleep, she snuck out of bed. There's no point trying to go out the front door, he'd be up with the first click of the lock. She walked to the bathroom as if to use it. He heard her do that often enough in the past three weeks to think nothing was out of the ordinary.

In the bathroom she checked out the small window. Good. Like Phil, she crawled into bed fully dressed. She glanced at her feet and wriggled her toes. No shoes, but she couldn't risk going back for them. Flushing the toilet to keep the noise as she push the window open, she took a deep breath and then, balancing on the toilet seat, she pushed herself onto the sill.

Outside, cold ground met her bare feet. Panic climbed up her spine until her teeth shattered. _If Phil can't hide you, what makes you think you have any chance to stay alive on your own?_ Glancing at the window she thought of crawling back to her only safety retreat. No, her best chance to stay alive was on her own. She couldn't go home, but she could disappear. All she had to do is hide for ten more days.

With one last look over her shoulder, she faded into the mist.

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**AN:** So what do you think? I bet you have lots of questions you've been itching to ask me. I'll try to answer as much as I can. I hope you guys liked it. Please tell me so in your reviews. Matt will be on the next chapter! 


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to those who have read and reviewed this story. So far you've given me positive reviews, and that's great! Anyways, this chapter is about Matt and what he does for a living. Hope you like it! If there's any questions you want to ask about this chapter, please write it down in your review and I'll try to asnwer them as best I can.

**Chapter 2:**

"_Hey, Pretty Boy, congratulations on your successful hunt."_

Yamato Ishida paused at the door of what served as a meeting room in the basement of an old warehouse of Seekers Inc. and looked at the four men around the conference table through the lenses of his sunglasses and made a superhero pose. "No sweat."

As Koushiro Izumi…or Izzy as his friends call him…past him toward the ton of wires attached to the computer system, he jabbed Matt in the ribs with an elbow. "There's never any sweat with you."

Not that his target made the game of hide-and-seek easy, but once he was concerned, he'd seen that walking out willingly was the best option…especially with the Japan SWAT team surrounding him. Matt dealt with bullies enough to learn a few tricks. Even scum wanted to believe it deserved respect. Matt let them think he gave them what they wanted; then they gave him what he wanted. He was always one for win-win.

Takeru 'TK' Takishi studied the plate of muffins in front of him, took one and smiled his good-old-boy smile. "Better get your share before I finish them."

As Izzy set up the computer for whatever presentation Kamiya planned, he observed Matt up and down. "What happened to you? The dry cleaner ran out of perchloroethylene?"

Matt smoothed the wrinkles on his silk-blen gray blazer. Izzy's always one for deep words. "Couldn't wait to see you guys, so I didn't even stop home."

TK and Izzy smirked.

Matt dropped into a leather chair around the cherry wood conference table, his usual post farthest from the door. Leaning against the wall, Ken Ichioji, with his dark hair and dangerous looks, nodded acknowledgement but didn't speak. He was always the quiet one and only talked when he was asked or he had something important to say. Jyou "Joe" Kido, the new guy, was still feeling his way into the group. He had the same color of hair as Ken, except his was lighter. Matt couldn't figure out why Kamiya hired someone like him.

Taichi Kamiya, or Tai, was the head and leader of Seekers Inc. He walked in and took his place at the head of the table.

As Matt reached for a blueberry muffin in the basket with a lacy doily, he chuckled. "You really ought to tell your sister, Kari, that lace clashes with the macho image we're trying to build here."

"Eat up those blueberries." Tai's feature's remained stiff and formal while he shuffled papers, a small grin on the corner of his mouth. "Kari wanted me to mention that it's part of the presentation effect."

Laughter exploded around the room. Tai finally gave up the serious look and smiled. His younger sister, Kari, seemed to have this sort of power to boss other people around, especially him. But keeping that aside, she was bubbly and caring. She always brings them food and fussed over them all as if they were family. None of the boys minded and treated her like their own sister.

Tai knocked on the table to get everyone's attention. "Okay, bring me up to date."

Grabbing his laptop, Izzy gave the daily security update. Ken did his usual report on the activities of his current tracking cases. Takeru announced he was leaving for China in an hour to follow a tip on the serial killer who marries different kinds of women and hangs them. A Japanese socialite hired Seekers Inc. to find the man who used her daughter to gain access to their fortune. The mother didn't care how long it took or how much it cost as long as the dirty bastard never enjoyed a penny of her family's money.

The screen at the front end of the room went blue, and Izzy said, "Ready when you are."

Tai reached for the remote that controlled the PowerPoint presentation. "Yesterday afternoon we were hired by the government for a new mission…"

"The country's National Service?"

Tai nodded. "One of their WSP subjects ran away and they need her back."

Matt leaned back in his chair as if that would help him take in the whole situation. "Why are they involving us?"

"They seem to think one of their own is responsible for compromising her security."

Matt gave a low whistle. Admitting that one of theirs was dirty and a traitor was never easy for the Service. Working at the WSP in the past, he knew its usefulness even as he saw the possibilities for betrayal. Every good had its bad side.

Tai aimed the remote at the screen and a face pooped onto it. "We've been assigned to look for Mimi Tachikawa, daughter of Hiroshi Tachikawa of Tachikawa Corporation in Odaiba."

"Isn't that where you're from, Ishida?" Ken asked.

Everything in Matt stilled. Though his glasses shielded his eyes from everyone, the black tint was light enough for him to see every detail clearly. Mimi's picture filled the screen, and the past he worked so hard to forget slapped him across the face. There in front of him was the image of everything he ever wanted. Everything he'd been told he could never have.

Mimi Tachikawa. Mimi was the sight of perfection…from her soft brown hair to her honey brown eyes to her achingly sweet personality. You wanted to hate her for all she had, but you simply couldn't. Never in his life had he met a single person who didn't like her. She was the last person he thought would ever need WSP. How could the girl every guy had been in love with and every girl wanted as a friend now be running for her life?

"Isn't Tachikawa Corp. involved with the Steeltex project?" Izzy asked.

"They are," Tai said.

Joe frowned so deeply, his eyebrows met in the center of his forehead. "What's Steeltex?"

Tai clicked the remote and a picture of a soldier dressed in camouflage came onto the screen. In the next slide, only a mirage like shimmer distinguished the soldier from the brick wall behind him. Before he could say anything, Izzy took the chance to give an explanation.

"It's the new fabric the U.S., British and Japanese Army is working on. It transmits visual color, light and patterns through the fiber to make whoever wears it nearly invisible against any background. Microdots are in it to locate an injured or killed soldier. The last model contains conductive fibers in the chest area that can monitor vital functions by an injured soldier. This information can be relayed by wireless signal to a remote location such as a field hospital." Izzy gave Tai a smile, telling him he was finished.

Tai nodded. "That project and the safety of our troops and the U.S. and British troops out in the field lay on the hands of Mimi Tachikawa. If she didn't testify at her father's murder trial on time, they, and probably the rest of the world, will be in great danger."

"Someone killed her father?" Matt's nerves were running a marathon, but he spoke as casually as if the revelation didn't shock him.

Tai clicked the next slide, flashing a picture of Hiroshi Tachikawa on the screen. Mix of brown and gray hair, dark brown eyes, fair and generous. The old man kept the small town of Odaiba alive when everyone else had given up. No one was good enough for his daughter. But then again, when you had a daughter like Mimi, how could they be?

The next photo was of a younger man who tried his best to present a Pierce Brosnan 007 image but couldn't get the right attitude. He wore the 'I'm-better-than-you' sneer of the typical bully. "Mr. Tachikawa was murdered by his business partner, Michael Sheer."

The next slide twisted Matt's stomach. The color was so vivid it almost looked fake, the James Bond wannabe held a gun at Mr. Tachikawa's head. Smoke puffed out of the muzzle. Red mist sprayed out from Hiroshi's head. Matt recognized the place…it was Mr. Tachikawa's office in the back of the Tahickawa mansion on the hill.

Ken's voice floated from the shadows of the wall. "Where did that photo come from?"

"The subject took it."

Mimi captured her own father's murder? He hoped to heaven someone was there for her. She loved her father. Her whole world revolved around him, wanting to please him in any way she can. Losing him and witnessing his murder would've torn her apart.

"Over the last month," Tai said, "information on her location was revealed three times. Three bodyguards are dead. After the last attack, she disappeared and hasn't been seen since. The Service is worried about her safety."

Six slides went by, showing a photo of each of the three men as it appeared on their badges and crime-scene photo of each of their corpses. Matt's skin grew cold. His mind couldn't get away from the fact that Mimi witnessed such violence. That was his world, not hers. Hers was all joy and kindness. The photograph she took of him and their best friend Sora at her sixteenth birthday was the only thing he'd taken with him when he left Odaida. Did she shut down like she did when her mother died? Where is she now? Where did she go?

"Here's our subject profile." Dry statistics that couldn't even begin to describe the life that buzzed around Mimi glared at him from the screen.

TK sipped his soda. "Where was her last location?"

Izzy typed something on his trusty laptop. "When her third bodyguard was killed, Inspector Phillip McNair took her to a small motel three hours outside Odaiba. She escaped through a bathroom window." Pictures of the motel, the window and the surroundings clicked across the screen. A small footprint on the ground made it real. Mimi's footprint in the sand. How often had he seen that image?

Matt shook his head. _Don't go there_. "When and where's the trial?"

"Odaiba," Tai informed. "Eight days from today. We have to find her. Without her, Sheer has no reason to reveal the extent of his treason. We have cause to believe he's behind the attempted murder of Miss Tachikawa."

Tai's chair screeched as he turned to face Ken. "Ichioji, I want you to track the witness and bring her back. Ishida, since you've worked at WSP before, you'll go in pretending to be one of them so you can find the traitor…"

"I'll track." Matt sat still. Tai mustn't know how much he wanted to lead this mission.

Tai frowned at him. "This isn't multiple choice."

"I'll track." _Be firm, keep it cool_. "I know how to find her."

Tai studied him with his dark brown eyes and sharp face. Without breaking eye contact, he said, "Kido, you'll go undercover. Ichioji, you'll help Ishida track."

"I can track alone. No sweat."

"That's all gentlemen. "Tai announced. "Check you PDA's for updates. Matt, stay behind."

Four sets of curious eyes looked at him as they filed out. After Joe closed the door, Tai sat on the corner of the conference table. "Were you able to get some sleep after your mission?"

Matt flashed him a smile. "You know me. I can sleep anywhere. I got a couple of hours sleep when I was on the plane."

"Can you handle going back?"

The strange thing about him was that he asked for everything and somehow you feel compelled to answer him. Tai knew the deep dark secrets of each of his team. But there was trust, and that means a lot. Tai knew that Matt grew up in Odaiba, knew about the strained relationship between him and his best friend Sora, and knew the hard times he had while growing up. But he didn't know about Mimi. Matt never told a soul about Mimi.

Matt leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head…image of relaxation. "Yeah, I can handle going back. That's why I took your job offer in the first place." Well, sort of.

Tai turned the remote in his hand. "You've been here over a year and you're one of my best men. But you haven't set foot in Odaiba for years."

Matt gave a careless shrug. "I guess I just needed a little push." If he had, he could've known about Mimi's father and could've helped her.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"I know her. I know Odaiba. I can find her faster than anyone here."

Someone within the program wanted to harm his dream girl. He may have nothing to offer her ten years ago, but now he could keep her safe from the bullies who wanted to hurt her. "I understand her and I know where she's coming from. I understand the program that betrayed her." He was her only chance.

"It's not just Mimi, Matt. There's WSP's reputation and the lives of soldiers at stake."

"I get that."

A long silence filled the room with tension. _Never let them see you sweat._

Tai reached forward with a finger and flicked Matt's glasses so they rested on top og his head. "Tell Me about, Mimi."

Matt forced his gaze to meet Tai's. "She was the princess in the mansion and I was the guy from the wrong side of the tracks."

"I see."

Matt feared maybe Tai was seeing too much. "I never stood a chance."

"A schoolboy's first crush can make him blind sometimes."

"But he still understands their rules."

"Make sure you do." Tai stood and gathered his files. You find her and you bring her in. Is that understood?"

"Crystal clear."

"Ken's my best tracker. He's going with you. This is just too important."

Just what Matt needed…a shadow to witness his weakness.

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**AN:** Ok, so what do you think? I hope you get what Matt's job is. He's an agent in this company called Seekers Inc. Oh yeah, Matt and TK aren't related in this story. Chapter 3 will be a bit short with Michael in it.

Don't forget to review! lolz


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter introduces the bad guys, the villains, le mauvais garcon, mal character, bribón,contrabida, akutama…you know what I'm saying? (Those are seven ways you can say the word bad guy/villain….hehehe) Sorry, I didn't have my coffee yet so I'm kinda acting crazy. Anyways, thank you for the reviews. Keep 'em coming!

It's really short coz this is just an intro chapter for the bad guy, Michael...or is he? The next chapter will be longer with Matt and Mimi in it.

**Chapter 3:**

All prison telephone conversations were taped, so Michael Sheer had to learn to talk in codes so the censors wouldn't trace anything bad happening. But what did the little minds know about how the world really worked? They didn't understand he was selling defective merchandise to the enemy while working on the real thing for the Japanese government. Why shouldn't he profit from the enemy's greed?

"I'll need a new suit for court."

"_Check."_

That's what he liked about Jun Motomiya…her efficiency. With just those few words she'd know what to do. It wasn't that they were intimate. He hired her because he _wasn't_ attracted to her. She's not what you can call a pretty woman, with a face like a scarecrow and delusional fantasies of being the next Lara Croft. But her mind was sharp enough to cut paper and she understood him. a vengeful woman was a force more fearsome than an atomic bomb, and he never wanted pleasure to interfere with business. No sex. No jealousy. No need to worry about female revenge. Jun got that. What she wanted form him wasn't sex or passion; she wanted adventure.

"Tell my tailor to make you a dress also." Michael pulled out the cigar he paid a small amount for.

"_Really?"_ Jun's squeal of delight was real. In his generous understanding of her fantasy, he offered her the kind of assignment that would send someone like Jun un throes more satisfying than any orgasm. How often did she ask for more hands-on part in this game he was playing with his captors? Now she'd get to tackle the role of private investigator.

"Any word on the Belgian chocolates yet?" That was his code for Mimi Tachikawa. Mimi was sweeter and more deliciously than any candy, and Jun knew that. But Mimi escaped the box he put her in, and now he needed her back.

"_You don't pay me enough for doing all this work."_ Jun pretended to whine.

There was a beep. The censors heard an overworked and underpaid assistant. But Jun knew the worth she brought him, and he paid her accordingly.

"I just gave you a designer dress." Out of fabric so secret, being caught wearing it would have her tried for treason.

"_Um, so you did."_ She giggled like a schoolgirl, already anticipating the thrill of the hunt. He beamed at the knowledge that he hired the right person.

"Check the order confirmation and track down that chocolate. And make sure the contents aren't damaged." He blew out rings of smoke. As soon as he got what he needed from Mimi and erased her from the picture, he could get back to business. She already cost him almost a year of his life. He'd make her pay for all of her sins. "I want to celebrate my release in style."

"_I'm on it, boss."_

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**AN:** Ok, for those who got confused with this chapter, Michael and Jun are talking on the phone and since prison telephones have censors, they have to talk in codes. The chocolate Michael was talking about is Mimi and he's asking Jun to find her and bring her back. Jun is this delusional girl who's always up for adventure and thinks that she's the next Lara Croft. Michael and Jun aren't together…they don't have any relationship whatsoever. Michael's only using her to get what he wants since he's in prison and he can't do nothing, while Jun only wants adventure and she thinks that this mission Michael gave her is perfect for her 'Lara Croft' image.

I hope I cleared any misunderstandings there. Chapter 4 will be up next week. Don't forget to review! Please!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you again for the wonderful reviews. Keep 'em coming guys! Anyways, I'm proud to say that this chapter is longer than the last one...lolz. You'll be expecting more of those short chapters later on, but don't worry, it's mostly about Michael.

**Kikyotheevilmaiden** – thank you for all your support and for the wonderful reviews you've given me. I'm not ableto reply to your reviews via FFN or e-mail, so I thought why not include my thanks here, in my story just like the old days when FFN didn't have those reply URL's yet. Thanks a lot! Lolz

**Chapter 4:**

Matt sent Ken to sniff Mimi's trail at its last known point, but the shortcut information lay in this black whole Matt had sworn he'd never come back to.

The line of houses forming the backbone of Odaiba appeared through the rain-drenched windshield of his Corvette. How could so little change in thirteen years?

The Tachikawa mansion still faced south, overlooking the river. Posh homes still cropped up in the small upper village.

As Matt passed over the last hill, he let out a breath he wasn't aware he held. Orange construction barricades closed off the old bridge and redirected traffic through downtown. _Shit!_ He wanted to avoid going through the center of town.

At least the rain poured down hard. He didn't really want to see his old hometown and all the bitter memories that it brought. The plan was to talk to his best friend and childhood friend, Sora, get a lead on Mimi and get out of this hellhole as fast as possible. _Take it in like a reporter, Matt. Notice, don't feel._

To his left, he can barely see his old high school. There he was voted most likely to fail and end up in jail. The positive one was that he was voted most likely to become a rock star. What a joke! It was all in the past. He could stand up straight and be proud of who he was and what he's become. He was good enough for anyone…including Mimi.

_Yeah, right._ Her father wouldn't agree so easily.

Now that he was here, he wasn't quite sure what to do. The last time he talked to Sora, she screamed at him to never call her again and slammed down the phone. All of his calls after that were screened through a voicemail, and she didn't return any of them. But then again, Sora can be a little bit stubborn sometimes…and bossy. She made up her own rules and sometimes, those rules get her in trouble. Last time he heard she'd gotten a P.I. license. He couldn't imagine that business was booming for her here.

Rain drummed impatiently on the top of his Corvette, reminding him of his mother's long nails clicking against the cracked kitchen table. _Are you just going to sit there?_ Her shrill voice taunted. _For heaven's sake, Yamato, grow up. Do you want to end up like your father?_

_Don't know. That might be a good idea. At least he's got a job, unlike you._

The imagined smack of his mother's slap stung his cheek. He turned off the ignition and quickly ran across the street to his friend's house. For a second his hand hovered above the glossy red paint, the he knocked.

He heard several small barks. "Quiet, Bugsy!"

Sora…but not quite Sora. Something was off in her voice. "Sora, its Matt, open up."

The silence on the other side of the door was so deep it seemed to suck the breath right out of his lungs. "Sora, please."

"Go away."

"I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, well you're a decade too late."

"Open the door, Sora."

"I can't." the broken tone of her voice tore him apart. What on earth happened to her? Why does she hate him so much? He was the one who had been all but driven out of town. What could she possible hold against him?

Something slid down the other side of the door. "You left me, Matt. You left me with her." Her voice, low on the other side of the door, hardened. "You left me."

Matt swore silently and slid down the front side of the door. They sat back to back with the door between them. "I couldn't take you with me, you know that."

"You left me, Matt."

Rain splashed his face and soaked his suit and shoes. "You liked it here. Remember my mom always took your side whenever we're in an argument? You and Mimi, a lot of people liked you both. Queen of this and Princess of that. Sora Takenouchi and Mimi Tachikawa was everybody's friend. Why would you want to leave?"

"Things change."

Hands draped over his knees, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the hard wood. "Talk to me."

"It doesn't matter. You should leave now."

He thought he heard tears in her voice. What the hell was he supposed to do with that when she wouldn't talk? "This isn't about me, Sora. It's about Mimi."

"Mimi's safe wherever she is."

"No she isn't. Someone within WSP is selling her out. If I don't find her, she could die!"

There was silence.

"She's already lost so much," Matt added. Mimi was a woman of her world. She belonged here in the same way he never had. Losing her father, her life, her world, he couldn't imagine how she survived it all. "She doesn't deserve to die for a mistake her father made."

"Mr. Tachikawa died to protect her."

"What makes you say that?" That information wasn't discussed in their meeting.

"I'm not going to betray her."

"It's not betrayal when you're helping her."

"She's safe."

Why is she being so stubborn? It wasn't her life she was playing with; it was Mimi's. But he swallowed his anger and talked to his friend as if logic would make a difference. "People on the run tend to go back to people they know. Did she come to you for help?"

"She's safe."

"Did you know that someone tried to kill her in the past three weeks? That three bodyguards died trying to protect her? That right now Michael Sheer is negotiating with lawyers and that is Mimi chooses not to testify at the trial, he could end up out on the streets again?"

"Like you said, she lost so much already. Maybe she feels she has nothing more to loose."

"What about her life, Sora? Isn't that important?"

"What's the point if she always has to live in fear? Maybe she's tired of running, Matt. Did you ever think of that?"

Nothing he could say would change her mind. "I care about, Mimi. You know that, right? I have to find her before Michael's men does. In your heart you know that too. Now where is she?"

But Sora didn't answer. He only heard her move up and away from the door. He stood up and pounded on the door. He turned the doorknob, but it won't give. "Sora, you have to help me. Please, Sora. I don't care if you hate me forever, but you have to think about Mimi. She's in danger, Sora."

Sora's footsteps padded away. He wasn't stupid, he got the hint. As always in this town, he was on his own. He turned around and walked back to his car. His presence here caused Sora grief, and whatever he represented to her was a threat. Too bad she couldn't even think of her friend. He needed to find Mimi to help her stay alive. Couldn't Sora see that?

He yanked the car door open and fumbled in his soaked pocket for his keys. With one last look at the house, he turned on the ignition.

As the engine growled to life, a smile formed his lips. He reached into the glove compartment for an old rag her always kept there to wipe fog off the windshield and wiped his sunglasses.

"_Mimi's safe wherever she is." "She's safe."_ Matt suddenly realized where he could possibly find Mimi. Maybe Sora hated him, but she did care about Mimi.

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**AN:** Where do you think is Mimi now? Will Matt find her? And why does Sora hate him so much? Stay tuned!

Don't forget to review! lolz


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry I wasn't able to update sooner. I've been working on the epilogue chapter of 'The Sweetest Revenge.' If you haven't read it, check it out once you're done reading this. As most of you have guessed in their reviews, this chapter is the part where Matt finds Mimi.

**Chapter 5:**

_Don't think of it, Mimi. Nobody knows where you are. Nobody can find you. _Still, the edge of her peace started to curl at the sound of the ferry's horn. Once a day it delivered supplies, mail, and possibly people.

Out here in her refuge of growing fog, she listened for Sister Berta's footsteps on the rocky path, but only the gentle lap of water against rocks reached her. Was there a problem this afternoon? She fiddled with the aperture ring on the camera Sister Berta loaned her.

_Let it go, Mimi._ Sister Berta wouldn't spill her secret.

Mimi imagined five-foot-two Sister Berta in a showdown with one of Michael's thugs. She laughed out loud and the fog swallowed her voice, replacing it with the quiet push and pull of water on rock.

After the chaos of the past year, this time of silence was a blessing. She lifted the camera and forced herself to relax into the calming rhythm of nature around her.

_Back to basics, Mimi_. The first essential a good photograph was awareness. What personal statement did she want to make today?

"_Part of finding peace,"_ Sister Berta said when Mimi first showed up on the convent doorstep begging for sanctuary, _"is finding oneself."_

And there in the cool afternoon air, with a pale white haze on the horizon, Mimi could almost believe she'd have a chance at connecting with her lost self…and surviving for another eight days.

Though the Sisters of the Sacred Heart were in the midst of their summer tourist season, Sister Berta found a room for her in the old convent. People came to Retreat Island at times of transition…divorce, death, milestone birthdays…that made one person want to look deep into his self or beg some higher source for answers to questions that really had none. But the quiet time did heal and it had a way of leasing one to some sort of peace.

There were no televisions here, no schedules, no hectic running from one appointment to the next. There was room for a dozen overnight visitors to find their own voices in the silence. They could join the sisters in their daily prayers. They could work in the gardens. They could walk in the woods. If someone needed to talk, a sister was there with a willing ear. Chapel bells woke the residents at six every morning, and small signs on the walls discreetly reminded guests that their silence was their gift to their companions.

Though Sister Berta insisted they had a full house, the island was big enough that Mimi hadn't run into any of the other guests. They, like her, were seeking solitude. And two days into her ten-day retreat, that sense of peace was starting to envelop her as thickly as the fog tucking around the island.

Fear retreated and she lost herself in the beauty of nature around her. She looked through the lense of her camera. The scent of flowers, sea air, and damp earth connected her to the here and now and grounded her to her surroundings. Crouched among the rocks and boulders that lined the western shore, she aimed the camera at the departing ferry that was moving into the fog like some sort of spaceship and snapped the shutter.

Mimi heard Sister Berta's footsteps crunched on the path. All was safe for another day.

Her sigh filled the night air. With a smile she straightened, threw her head back and spread her arms like Julie Andrews at the beginning of _The Sound of Music_, then twirled on her rocky perch to meet Sister Berta. Before she could start singing, the sight of a single white flower bending over a ledge of rocks caught her eye. She lifted the camera and took a picture of the lone flower.

Sister Berta's footsteps stopped on the trail.

"What took you so long?" Mimi asked, moving one foot to a neighboring boulder in order to accentuate the flower's petals. "I was starting to think something happened."

"Your Sister Berta is one tough lady. It took me half an hour to convince her I was one of the good guys."

At the sound of the male voice Mimi jerked around, lost her footing on the wet rock and landed hard on her back. Fear climbed up her body. How could Sister Berta have trusted anyone after what Mimi told her? Men…all men…were a threat to her. No matter how charming…especially of they were charming…they belonged to Michael, and the only thing Michael wanted from her was permanent silence. Scrambling to her feet, she managed to get up and over the rock, away from this threat.

"Mimi! Hey, wait, no!" The tall figure ran after herm swearing as he slipped on the wet rocks. "It's me, Matt."

"Matt?" Heart hammering, she froze, holding the camera against her heart like a pitiful shield. Matt once had a way of making her feel as if her mere presence in this world made it a better place. What teenage girl didn't want to see herself as a goddess in a handsome boy's eyes? Then she ruined it all with just a few words. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we climb down from here?"

"No." She needed distance. This was too unexpected, too shocking. Matt was here. But it's the wrong time and wrong place. She shivered and wished she'd worn a sweater over her sleeveless blouse. He moved away from the fog and she sucked in a breath.

Familiar features formed as he drew closer, and the sizzle she'd thought of as a teenage infatuation stirred her blood. His blonde hair still supported a salon 'do'. His high cheekbones still begged a camera's attention. His lips were still tempting. He still wore the mirrored shades he's taken up in high school. Cool then, scary now because she couldn't read his intention in his eyes.

Her hands tightened around the camera and she struggled with her desire to inch it up to her eye to capture this man from her past. That sexy smile. That careless pose. That air of endless time on hand. She admired that survival instinct in him, that fire to succeed that no one could douse no matter how much water they threw at him. That relentless ability to pursue suited his job, but it would also return her to a captivity that doomed her to die.

"Stay where you are."

"I'm here to help you, Mimi."

"I was safe until you showed up." She stepped up to the next boulder and away from the frustrating tug of outgrown teenage hormones that once made her do crazy things like swan dive into the lake to get his attention.

Balancing himself on the slippery soles of his leather shoes, he followed her. "I don't work for Sheer. I don't work for the police. I work for a private firm and I'm here to help you. You know me, Mimi. Trust me."

"I can't. Leave me alone." She continued putting distance between them. She couldn't trust anyone. She was learning that lesson blow by painful blow. Look where trusting Sister Berta had gotten her. Where would she go now? "How did you know where to find me?"

"A lucky guess."

"Sora." Tears blurring her path, Mimi reached out to steady herself on a neighboring boulder, then continued her upward climb on the hill. How could Sora have sold her out? Even to Matt?

"She didn't say a word." Matt puffed too close behind her. "Why won't she open the door for me?"

"You left her…"

"I had no choice."

"…and you asked me to go with you instead."

He slid a mumbled curse. "That was different."

"Not to her." Not when Sora knew her only protection from her mother's hard life was Matt. But he couldn't know, and it wasn't Mimi's place to tell him. "How did you find me?"

"It wasn't that hard. People tend to go back to what's familiar. You're parents are dead. Sora's too obvious and too close to home. Who else could you trust? Then I remembered your mother's college friend who used to take you to see all those musicals in Tokyo when you were a kid. I had a hell of a time tracking her down. Who would've thought a theatre major would end up in a convent?"

She hoped no one. Her mother died so long ago and Sister Berta hadn't been an active part of Mimi's life since then. Mimi assumed Sister Berta wouldn't show up on anyone's radar. Except Matt's because he knew her so well. What if Michael's hired goons followed him? "Please, Matt, if you really do care for me, go away."

"You know, between you and Sora, my ego is taking quite a beating."

"Then you shouldn't have come back to the people who can hurt you."

"You have to testify. I can keep you safe until then."

It started to rain. She reached the top of the hill and looked down at Matt, struggling for footing on the rocks below. She missed him. But after the way she hurt him, she had no right to expect him to put his life on the line for her. She wasn't the old Mimi, and he wasn't the old Matt. A lot of stuff had happened to both of them.

"Go away, Matt. Please leave me alone."

"I can't, Mimi, not this time."

She didn't wait to see if he made it safely over the last muddy stretch of cliff. She ran through the woods and then something moved to her right. A deer? She turned her head but saw nothing. Matt made her imagine Michael's minions all around her.

"Mimi!" The alarm in Matt's voice froze her. A moment later he tackled her to the ground. The hard tackle jammed the camera into her chest, stealing her breath. A second later something hit the tree at her side; chunks of bark fell onto her arm.

"Stay down," Matt said, then took off after whoever shot at them. He disappeared into the fog she counted as a blessing only moment ago.

Desperately trying to get her breathing properly, she clawed her hands at the earth on her side. This could not be happening. Not here. This was a safe place. Drops of rain splattered around her. She'd been wrong and she had to get away fast. Tonight, she had to disappear again.

"Can you stand?" Matt's hand reached down to help her up.

She nodded and sat up, clutching her chest where her camera hit, and finally getting air into her lungs. "I'm…fine. Did you…get him?"

"No, he got away."

She didn't realize until then that she counted on Matt to catch him and give her a chance for a safe getaway. The bitter hiccup of tears joined breaths. "I have to…get back…Sister Berta…must be worried."

Matt's hand didn't let go of her arm. "Mimi." He opened his left hand. There on his palm rested the proof that her safety was nothing more than illusion.

**

* * *

A/N:** Hmmm, what could that be? And what happened to the guy who tried to kill Mimi? Where did he go? Howcome Matt never caught him?Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh, and by the way, I have updated the Epilogue chapter in 'The Sweetest Revenge.' Check it out! 

Don't forget to review! Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Yay! I've reached 50 reviews! Not too bad. Good job guys! Thank you so much. Keep 'em coming.

**Chapter 6:**

"_How did he get hold of this?"_ Mimi's fingers shook as she picked up the ripped square of fabric from Matt's palm. Like a chameleon, the fabric turned from light to dark, and then settled, taking on her skin's color and disappearing as if the fabric was invisible. Steeltex. The experimental fabric her father developed for the American, Japanese, and British armies. "How could Michael's goon get into the company? It's gated and guarded night and day."

"I don't know but we have to get out of here." The tautness of Matt's voice, the protective stance of his body and the predatory way he scanned the area around them increased her anxiety.

"Is he still out there?" She craned her neck and looked around the woods. Her body was strangely numb and it automatically moved closer to Matt.

Matt poked at the scrap of material peeking out of the top of her fist. "He's got the advantage. He can see us, but we can't see him."

He took of his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "We need to get moving."

The jacket had trapped his heat and his clean scent, and both surrounded her like a security blanket. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he adjusted the lapels around her neck, then his face settled into a sharp set of unreadable lines.

"I don't need this…"

He stopped her efforts to remove his jacket. "The color of your shirt makes you a clear target."

Her gaze dropped to his chest. The pearl-gray of his shirt shimmered in the fading light. "But now you…"

"Shh…let's go. We have to get back to the convent."

This running, this constant fear wasn't going to end…not until either she or Michael was dead. "We won't make it…" _Alive_ stuck in her throat. Their hunter was too close. Behind that tree? Behind that rock? "It's too far."

"We'll make it." He tugged on her hand, breaking her paralysis. "Let's take it one step at a time. Like old times."

Like the time she couldn't run one more step at track practice and he'd fallen back to her pace and told her jokes until she forgot the cramp in her side. His soothing voice, the warmth of his hand holding hers, the solidness of his body pressed against hers almost had her believing this could be just another training session.

Except this time there was no smile to seal the lie that everything was okay. His vigilant scanning and cautious movements erased all delusions this was anything but a hunt and they were the prey.

Trailing behind him, she felt like she was once again the girl he continually had to get out of trouble and now his taking charge was making her feel small and helpless.

_Just like her father's well-meaning control._

_Just like Michael's manipulations._

_Just like WSP._

With Matt it was supposed to be different…comfortable, easy, safe.

At the edge of the woods Matt paused. His breath puffed close to her ear as he took in the obstacle before them. With the thick fog and darkness surrounding them, the ground continued to slope gently toward a big building that was convent. They were a good half-a-mile away from it…risky.

Three men already died trying to keep her safe. The thought that Matt might be next terrified her. "He'll see us. We won't make it."

"It's just a walk in the park, babe." He gave her a big smile, but that didn't fool her. Her removed his shirt and dropped it behind a rock. "Just think of it as racing the park ranger to the gate."

"Uh…not exactly the same." The park ranger didn't point a gun at them then.

"We'll give him the smallest target possible and take a path he can't anticipate."

"Right." Everything inside her screamed to stay in the security of the shadows. _Don't move. Stay._ Just until she could dig a little deeper for her last scrap of courage. "Why you? Your agency could've sent someone else."

"I figured that by now you'd need a familiar face."

She did…desperately. She gazed at the man that had given her sleepless nights, at the man she'd been looking for in the crowds for more years than she cared to admit, at the man that could still make her heart jump like a double shot of espresso. He came to her when someone could have taken the job. Had he forgiven her?

He squeezed her upper arm. His chin jerked toward the convent that seemed a hundred miles away. "Come on, Mimi. Let's make a run for it."

"If you remember correctly, I was never much of a runner."

"That's all right, I've got you covered."

Her awareness of his heat and scent, and his determination to protect her, hurt with its acuteness. For more than a decade, shouldn't she have moved on? Oh, no, not Mimi. She hung on things that did her no good. Like a magnum champagne, just one touch and her mind uncorked with all her unfulfilled childhood fantasies starring Matt. But being around Matt had always been like that…a combination of confusion and longing she'd never quite known how to handle.

"Ready?" he asked.

And just like that the fantasy disappeared. The man Michael hired to kill her was somewhere out there in the fog and storm. He was real and he was after her. For all she knew, the assassin was standing right there besides her, laughing silently, waiting for her to move. _Deal with it, Mimi._

With her throat to tight to speak, she nodded.

"Stick close." Not that Matt was giving her a choice. Hand hard on her shoulders, he plunged them into open space and steered her into a zigzag path toward the kitchen door of the convent. She pumped her arms and legs hard until her lungs and muscles burned.

To their right a shape rose and darkened against the fog, then disappeared again. Something darted pass her ear and hit the pole holding the birdhouse.

Michael's assassin was shooting at them. She was going to die. Michael was going to win. She wasn't ready to die. She hadn't even figured out the basics…like what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. For sure it wasn't running…or hiding.

Matt cursed as he pressed his body closer to hers and shifted directions, practically lifting her off her feet. "Faster!"

She was nothing more than a rag doll at the mercy of her protector and her hunter. Tears filled her eyes. Her legs were moving but she could no longer feel them. Michael promised to destroy all she cared for. He poisoned her existence and killed her father.

Another bullet went pass her, blasting rose petals on the path. She stumbled and Matt pulled her up. She couldn't see a thing, not even the convent lights. The damn tears broke and spilled.

_You won't ever be free from me, Mimi._ Michael's laughter echoed in her mind. _I won't ever let you go. I'll be in your dream and in your nightmares. I'll follow you wherever you go._

"Hang on, Mimi. We're almost there." Matt's voice shoved her back into reality.

Life and death. The line was thinner than she ever imagined. If Michael knew about Matt, he would destroy him. Michael lived in exploiting weakness to his best advantage. She couldn't allow Matt deeper into this mess. Not unless she wanted to loose him, too.

* * *

Matt pushed Mimi through the convent's kitchen door and locked the heavy wood door behind them. His handgun wasn't a match for a sniper's rifle. Would the shooter dare to violate the sanctuary of a convent? Would he kill defenseless nuns to get to Mimi? An open target was usually riskier than into a crowd. But now it was clear he messed up. He had to get Mimi off this bull's-eye target and behind Seekers Inc.'s thick walls as soon as possible.

At their noisy entrance, Sister Berta, who was standing at the counter, gasped and turned around holding a knife like a sword. A spatter of strawberry juice stained her gray skirt. "What happened to you?" she asked, clutching the silver cross dangling at her neck with her free hand. She took in the bits of twigs and dirt that clung to Mimi's long brown hair and the mud that streaked her jeans and white shirt.

"Nothing," Mimi said, but the compulsive shaking of her hands gave away her anxiety.

"You look as if the devil was after you." Sister Berta dropped the knife on the cutting board and rushed to Mimi's side. "Are you all right, dear?" She led Mimi to a chair and gave Matt a look of accusation.

"I'm fine," Mimi said, tripping slightly over the toe of her shoe as she sat down at the chair. "I think I'll just go to bed."

She started to rise again, but Matt caged her in. "Someone shot at Mimi."

"What?" Sister Berta crossed herself and hugged Mimi. "How can that be?"

"Is there any way to get off this island tonight?" Matt asked. Ken was somewhere in Odaiba. The rest of the team was just as far away and time was of essence.

Eyes filled with worry, Sister Berta said, "The ferry comes only once a day. You won't be able to leave until tomorrow afternoon."

Unacceptable. Clothed in Steeltex, Michael's hired man was essentially invisible and able to move as he pleased. He'd be watching and waiting for Mimi to move. For anther chance to earn his pay.

"What if you had an emergency?"

"Then we call an emergency helicopter, but this doesn't qualify."

"Why not? It's a matter of life and death."

Sister Berta's puffy white hair swayed with the shaking of her head. "They answer only medical emergencies."

"Whoever tried to kill Mimi is still out there." Matt paced the span of the double-wide arched kitchen door leading to the outside, more to keep Mimi in than to keep anyone out. Her body was tense for flight and she kept looking at the door. He didn't like the color of her skin, the dazed look in her eyes or her stubborn insistence that she was fine when her body obviously showed she isn't.

Seeing her again had been a shock to his system…like jumping into ice-cold water…and knocked him straight on his back. But he could not let his teenage infatuation with her get in the way of doing his job.

"Were there any new guests that arrived since Mimi got here?" Being able to identify the shooter would make keeping Mimi safe that much better.

"Other than Mimi, you're the only one this week. Do you think there's a danger to any of our other guests?"

"No, the shooter is after Mimi."

"What can we do?" Sister Berta clutched her cross as if it would provide her inspiration. He'd leave the prayers to her and rely on a solid plan of action.

"We'll have to call the local cops."

"Matt, no! I can't go back into protective custody." Arms wrapped around her middle, Mimi turned to Sister Berta. "If you didn't tell him where I was, I'd still be safe."

"If I didn't tell him, dear, you might be dead."

Mimi blinked as if to hold back tears and made a smalls sound in her throat that made Matt want to wrap her into his arms and promise her a happy ending. She'd always been a sucker for happy endings.

"Your young man is right, Mimi. This is too dangerous. You can't handle this alone. You have to trust someone. I wouldn't have sent him after you if I didn't remember him from your tenth birthday party, when you got hit with the piñata bat. He was the one who held a napkin to your head until your father could carry you off to get stitches. He has your best interests at heart." She patted Mimi's hand with obvious affection. "I'll go make that call now."

Mimi hung on to Matt's jacket that was still draped over her shoulders. "I can't go back, Matt. I can't just sit there and wait for the next shot through the window."

He crouched beside her and reached for her hand. It was cold…as cold as the diamond ring on her finger. Her rubbed her fingers to bring back warmth and tried to ignore the kick-in-the-gut need of touching her brought. "You'll be safe in Seekers Inc. It's filled with the latest security technology. No one will be able to get to you there."

"Except Michael. You don't know him, he's a manipulator. He'll use you to get to me and you won't even know it until it's too late."

"Is that what happened to your father?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded.

He didn't like the stiffness of her body or the flat look in her eyes. She tried to pull her hand free but he hung on to it, needing to keep that small connection between them. "A bully has power only as long as people believe in what he says."

"My point exactly."

Eyes burning with fear, Mimi leaned forward and her scent of warm vanilla sugar teased him. "I can't go back, Matt. I can't just sit there and wait for the next shot through the window."

He crouched beside her and reached for her hand, trying to ignore the temptation of touching her brought. He thought the distance of years made him immune to her power to dazzle him. But there it was, fizzing through his veins like a shook-up can of soda. "If you testify, you destroy his make-believe world. Without that power he loses everything."

"You don't get it."

"He's just a man, Mimi, not some sort of superhero."

"He owns me."

Matt pounded a fist against the tabletop. "Nobody owns anybody."

She turned her face away from him.

"Mimi…"

Her restless fingers held the hem of his jacket. "I know I have to testify. My father used to tell me that with privilege came responsibility. He owned the company, but he was responsible of the well-being of the people who worked for him. He believed that if he took care of his people, they would return his loyalty."

"I read about the fire and his keeping his employees on the payroll while the mill was rebuilt." Her father's selfless actions turned him into a hero. And a hero's image was a tough one to uphold.

"To keep his promise he had to take a partner. When George Sheer died, Michael inherited his father's position in the company. Without Michael's money dad couldn't have bid successfully on the Steeltex project and the company desperately needed to win that contract. I owe Daddy. I owe the employees who trusted him."

She turned to look at him, her eyes an open window to her soul. "But don't you see? As long as he is alive, he will find me."

"Not if we destroy him." For her he'd do anything. She had to know that.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that? He's already in jail, Matt. What will a life sentence do to him? He'll still have his pack of goons to send after me. Once he's convicted, he'll be even more desperate for revenge. I will _never_ be safe."

Matt plucked a piece of twig from her hair and tucked a soft strand of hair behind her ear. "Remember that guy who was stalking you back in ninth grade? I got rid of him didn't I?"

Her eyes shimmered as she touched his cheek. "Good thing he didn't beat you up with that chain he was always holding."

"And remember when that dog chased you because you trespassed at the apple orchard?" His voice was rustier than he expected. "I got him away from you."

Her gaze slid down to the floor. "You got into so much trouble because of me."

It was worth every sweat to have Mimi fuss over him. The way she held on to his arm all the way back to the mansion had him smiling proud for days

_Don't go there, Matt._ His brain frantically fired warning messages. The past wasn't someplace he wanted to get stuck. "Good thing I was a fast runner."

"But that won't be enough for Michael. He has no conscience."

"Men like him rarely do."

"It's not the same, Matt. He'll kill you to get to me."

In spite of her situation, she still belonged in a world of light and color. She'll always be his dream girl, but he was the wrong kind of man for a woman like her. He saw that now. She needed someone who could share the company and the responsibilities that went with privilege, money, and position.

"Failure is not an option."

Not then…not now.

"Four people already died because of me; three bodyguards and my father."

"And you're thinking that you should go alone because of that?"

She gave a small nod and her voice dipped into a whisper. "I have to."

Mimi…his brave and foolish girl. Her willingness to sacrifice herself for the things she loved was one of the qualities he admired about her. But he sacrifice wasn't acceptable. Protecting Mimi was his job. Getting her to Seekers Inc. was his job. Seeing her alive and in one piece to testify was his job. "It's out of your hands. There's too much at stake."

Sister Berta returned. "Because of the weather, the police can't come until morning."

"Then we'd better lock up tight."

He always got the job done.

* * *

**A/N:** So far this was the longest chapter I've written in this story. The next chapter will be another one with Michael (yes, it's short!). If you guys have any questions about this chapter, let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

Don't forget to review! lolz


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! I just want you to know that since I'll be going back to school soon, I won't be able to update as often as I used to, but I do promise to make an update every once in a while, like once a week or something. It depends on how busy I am with school stuff. Don't worry coz I'm not gonna leave you all hanging here. I'll continue writing this story no matter what.

**Chapter 7:**

"_The chocolate you ordered should be delivered by tomorrow night," _Jun announced toward the end of their daily briefing phone call. The faint changing of a bell buoy was heard in the background and had Michael cursing Mimi for all she'd stolen from him. _"I ran into a bit of trouble, but I have a tracer on it. I know the expected arrival time and destination."_

Michael went giddy with joy at the prospect of having Mimi back in his sights but kept his voice business like. "That is good news indeed."

"_It's going to be held at customs for a while, though, unless I can get the release numbers I need. It's because of the Cheddar cheese that came with it."_

Cheddar cheese is their code for cops or police of some sort. Who's protecting Mimi now? Could it be Phillip McNair again? He thought he'd taken care of the old man. Why did Jun need information from their inside source? Talking to that contact too often could compromise his advantage.

"When did this happen?"

"_Yesterday. It's from a private company."_

Private cops? Did Mimi turn to her pathetic childhood friend? He had to get to the bottom of it. "Contact our friend and say we need that customs release information. That's the only thing we can do to keep this import business thriving if our request is expedited."

"_And if there's trouble rerouting the cheese?"_

No cop…private, public, or paid for…was going to get between him and what was his. He had no qualms about ridding the world of one more badge-wearing bull. "We'll simply make fondue."

* * *

The need to hurry and get back to Mimi pressed at Matt's back like a knife. He left her at the convent guarded by a police officer. He would make her busy while taking down her statement. Matt headed toward the patch of woods where the intruder had shot at Mimi. Gennai, the chief of police…a scrappy goat of a man as weatherworn as the island…followed Matt.

The scent of damp earth filled the morning air. His suit…what was left of it…and shoes weren't exactly the best outfit for this task, but his travel bag was stuck in the trunk of his Corvette on the mainland. The plan had been simple…get Mimi and get her off the island. He should've known. When it came to Mimi, nothing was simple.

"With the storm last night, we wouldn't be able to find anything," Gennai said when Matt bent closer to the ground for a better look.

"We won't know unless we try."

The ground was saturated from the rain, squishing moisture into his shoes with every step. He ignored the discomfort and concentrated on his task. The faster he found the trail, the faster he could get back to Mimi.

Spotting indentations in the ground, he stopped. Army boots. The real things or purchased in a store? One person. That was a relief.

"Watch your step," he told the chief. "I've got something." Careful not to displace the track, Matt placed his foot beside one particularly good boot mark. The print was narrower and smaller than his. The stride was shorter too, with the toes pointed slightly inward. A woman?

Using the camera Sister Berta loaned Mimi, Matt snapped a picture of the track and one with his foot placed next to it for comparison. Maybe Izzy could come up with an identifier. Gennai took his turn at photographing the evidence.

Picking his way along the trail, Matt looked for broken twigs and turned-over rocks. Along the top edge of the bluff, near the boulder where Mimi had been taking pictures, he noted light prints. Suddenly the prints moved backwards. A retreat when Mimi climbed up the rocks?

He touched the print of Mimi's shoe running away from him. But he knew the outcome of that trail, so he followed the other. It led to a boulder where the intruder knelt and used the rock's flat top to prop his weapon. The knee prints were smaller than he expected from a man. Would someone like Michael Sheer give a very important job to a woman? That didn't fit his profile at all. For a man like Michael, a woman would make a prime target.

Yet what better way from Michael to fool the people charged with watching his every move? And there was Mimi in a convent full of nuns. Could one of the nuns be carrying a weapon in the folds of her skirt? He itched to get back, but to protect Mimi; the professionalism in him had to learn as much as he could about this adversary.

Now the prints showed the intruder running. His prints chased hers, but in clear daylight he could see what he missed in the fog. He spirited the threads of Steeltex caught in the bark into his pocket before the cop could see them. As far as he knew, the project was still classified.

"Looks like your shooter rested here," the chief said, stroking his close-cropped beard as he studied the scene. His navy windbreaker flapped in the wind.

In her camouflage suit, the shooter had blended well. "I passed right by her without seeing her."

"Her?"

"That's what the trail says."

The cop shrugged. "Could be a teenager. You said both shots missed."

"Could be." But not wearing Steeltex and not zeroing in on Mimi. Sheer wasn't that desperate yet.

Matt climbed down the opposite side of the cliff to the eastern shore of the island. The rocks mostly hid the shooter's tracks until he studied the few inches of mucky beach. There he found a slip mark above the high-tide line. Scuffs of navy paint streaked a rock and the rainbow slick of gasoline stains shone on another.

"Looks like your shooter came with his own boat." The chief bent down and studied the paint, then took a picture of the marks. "I'll take a paint sample and see what we can come up with. But I expect he's gone and won't come back."

_If_ she actually left the island. The ragged shore was full of little coves. His guess was that she'd stick to Mimi like a shadow.

The chief finished collecting his evidence and taking his notes, and then joined Matt at the edge of the water. "Nothing much to do for kids around these parts, so they go out and shoot targets. First time here, but it happens all the time on the smaller islands."

Probably just as well the chief didn't seem too disturbed about last night's events. He would get their statements and they'd be out of here in less than two hours. Matt planned on hitching a ride back with the cops. They'd be safe enough on the water.

But on the highway, his red vintage Corvette would make them sitting ducks.

* * *

In the pilothouse of the police patrol boat, Mimi sat stiffly while the captain stood at the controls. Her restless fingers clasped and unclasped the buckle of the small leather bag in her lap. Here she was again, in a small enclosed space, surrounded by cops. What if one of them died because of her?

A strong wind suddenly whipped her hair. She scraped the flailing locks back into a ponytail. She scanned the horizon for another boat, another threat, another sniper's rifle seeking her out.

Matt leaned against the railing at the prow, looking…even without a shirt under his suit jacket…like a carefree tourist. But his shoulders betrayed tension and his gaze swept the waters as if his glasses were X-ray devices able to spot a would-be assassin.

He meant well, of course. He didn't realize that this wasn't just another mission…that this situation had consequences. Mostly for those that are around her. Maybe he even thought he was keeping her safe just for old time's sake. Because Sora was her friend and that was the only way he could show his best friend he cared.

He'd seen WSP from the inspector's viewpoint. He was able to go home most nights and sleep in his own bed, in his own house. He couldn't know what it was like to lose yourself piece by piece, to live in fear that any moment a bullet would shoot through a window and destroy what was left of you.

She tore her gaze away from Matt's face and tried to focus on the instrument panel as complicated as any jetliners. It didn't work. The red lines reminded her of blood and dead people. She rubbed her hands against her thighs but couldn't stop the flow of cold sweat. How long before they get to shore? How long before she was out of this tin-can target? How long before she could get away?

Since high school she gained a certain sense of self, of who she was and what her duties and responsibilities were. She embraced both her public image and her unofficial role as ambassador for Odaiba. She also developed a personal passion to capture a person's truth on film. She loved kids. Life hasn't tainted them yet and there was such purity in all their expression.

But that was until Michael came in the picture and had taken his father's role as partner. He came into her life and had broken it all apart until she wondered about her choices, about her values and about the meaning of her life.

Not exactly what Michael had in mind, but he hoped that his remarks would make her as soft and as pliable as the parachute nylon the company produced. What he forgot was that the company's fabric wasn't as fragile as it looked.

Even though there was nothing left of what she once was. She still wanted that life back. She loved Odaiba. She loved the company. And she loved the people that made up both.

Michael wanted to distance her from her environment but instead brought her closer to her roots. By now she was supposed to have married him. And what was hers was supposed to be his. She shuddered.

At first he charmed her with his polished manners, his dazzling smile and his smooth bass voice. She's almost fallen under the spell of his persona. Until the press conference, when Tachikawa Corp. announced its new contract with the Army. As was her custom, she took pictures of the event. When she developed the film, something in Michael's eyes made her shiver. She thought it was a trick of the light, but the look of pure evil she caught on film surfaced again, both at her home and at his office, when he thought no one was looking. He'd shown his true colors the day he murdered her father.

Against her will, her gaze once again sought Matt. The stubble-shadowed jaw took nothing away from his clean-cut look. Her father would approve of the man Matt had become. They shared a deep sense of ethics and the values of honor and loyalty. Sora probably wouldn't argue, but even she knows this. Mimi had seen the letters from Matt that Sora discarded unopened. Matt even tried to help Sora when her mother couldn't pay for her college education, but pride made her refuse.

Seeing him again, so strong and solid, so determined to act as her protector, spiked her heart with a quick jump. She wished for one of his smiles that made her feel as if all was right with the world. She was tired of constantly looking over her shoulder. She was tired of being afraid. She was so tired that she was actually considering letting Matt take her to Seekers Inc., letting him take care of her. Letting Michael test just how high-security Seekers' safety bunker was. The last few weeks of bloody horror was making her weak.

_You're as strong as Steeltex._

Sneering she shook her head and opened the small leather bag that contained a few change of clothes Sora provided her and the camera Sister Berta loaned her. She took it out and loaded a fresh roll of film.

She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, to slide into darkness and stay there until the trial was over. Until someone could assure her that the bars around Michael were so tight and so solid, he could never again rally allies to do the dirty work he was denied.

"We'll find him, you know," the captain said, giving her a look that came too close to pity for comfort.

"Of course." She raised the camera and searched through the frame.

"He won't be able to keep the secret. It'll bother him so much he has to tell someone else about it. With a small town like this, a secret like that won't stay quiet too long."

"Thanks."

His fresh-scrubbed face was still eager and filled with idealism. How long would it take for lines to carve lines around his eyes and mouth like those that etched Gennai's face? "Can I take your picture?"

"Me? What for?"

"I like the look in your eyes." She wanted to capture the youthful passion shining bright on his face as a reminder that some parts of the world were still worth looking at.

He grinned and she snapped.

The captain slowed the boat as he approached the dock. "We're almost there."

One hand on the wheel, the other on the throttle, he turned around to face her. He opened his mouth as if to add something more. She adjusted the focus ring. Surprise rounded his eyes. Glass shattered. The sound of a gun cracked through the sudden rev of the boat's engine. The captain crumpled, taking her down with his dead weight.

* * *

**A/N:** Ohh…another dead person. Who is thiswoman trying to kill Mimi? Will she come out of it alive? Stay tuned for chapter 8!

Don't forget to review! lolz


	8. Chapter 8

Hi guys! I'm back! I bet most of you are wondering what the heck happened to me? Well, I've been busy in school. You won't believe how hard it is to be in college. My schedule's pretty hectic this semester. You see, I only go to school four times a week, you might think that's cool but it's not. I guess it's because I'm studying full time that's why I barely have time to do write my story. But I have a long weekend ahead of me because we don't have school on Monday cause it's President's Day.

I have so many things to tell you, things that happened to me over the past few weeks. The most recent one would be my disastrous date on Valentines. Actually, it's not really that bad, I had a fun time but the guy I went out with is taking it too seriously. If you want to know more about it, just give me a message cause if I wrote it down here it'll be a whole story. Lolz

Ok, I think that's enough for now. I better get on with my original plan and update my story. I know you've been waiting for it so here it is! Don't forget to review!

**Chapter 8:**

"Can we stop?" Mimi asked as Matt's Corvette burned up the freeway. Red streaked the sky, reminding her yet again of the captain's blood all over the patrol boat deck. Because of her, another man was dead. Her stomach was a tangle of greasy knots, her minds a maddened beehive and her determination would capitulate into a white flag of surrender if she didn't do something soon. "I think I'm going to be sick."

His fingers touched her knee in concern and racked up her guilt another notch. "There's a rest stop ahead. Can you hang on for a few minutes? I don't want to pull off the shoulder."

"Just hurry." Would he leave her alone? She searched her memory for the layout of the bathroom but couldn't remember if there was a back exit or not. Matt had changed into khakis, a polo shirt and running shoes. She wished he'd kept on his leather shoes. That way she'd have half the chance at losing him.

"You okay?" Matt asked as they passed a sign announcing their upcoming exit. His head remained fixed straight ahead, but the flick of his gaze in her direction snapped like a camera.

"I'm fine."

"You sawsomeone shot to death. You need to…"

"No, I'm fine."

"You've been through a…"

"No, really, there's nothing to talk about."

Talking won't solve her problems. As much as he wanted to, Matt couldn't fix this. Another man died. And once again, the shooter got away.

The surprise in the captain's eyes would haunt her for the rest of her life. It would paint a stain on her conscience. Another life extinguished because of her. If the captain didn't move to face her, the bullet that shot through his heart would have hit her right on her chest.

She blinked to soothe her burning eyes. She swallowed to loose the knot in her throat. She shuddered and zipped up her sweater she couldn't seem to shed even in the near-eighty-degree heat.

Why couldn't Matt understand that she didn't want to add him…or anyone else…to the ranks of the dead? That Michael wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. Her in a grave where he could spit and step on.

Matt slowed down and took the next exit. He parked on an outside row of the rest-stop parking lot, leaving plenty of space around him for a quick getaway.

She rolled her shoulder as if to dislodge a laser sight. "Is someone following us?"

"I'm just being careful."

He draped an arm casually around her shoulders, but there was nothing relaxed about the action-readiness of his taut muscles. His hand hovered over the gun she saw him hide in the holster under the untucked tail of his polo shirt. He studied every car and every person they passed on their way to the building.

To her dismay, he made as id to accompany her into the ladies room. "You can't go in there."

"I'm not leaving you alone."

"What could possibly happen in there?"

"You're not feeling well."

"Yet another reason not to have an audience." She racked her loosed hair back and blew out a breath. "Just give me a couple of minutes."

A bus belched to a stop, unloading a bunch of old ladies wearing purple hats and yellow t-shirts. Laughing and talking all at once, they entered the building and swarmed toward the bathroom.

Matt made a small sign of surrender. "Okay, I'll wait for you right here." He leaned against the doorway. His smile had steel around the edges, but to the casual observer it would look like a lover's tease. "If you need anything, let me know."

Not good. How could she get away with him watching the only exit? The competing scents of cinnamon and fast-food grease wafting in the air turned her stomach. _Think, Mimi_. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a bakery stand near the men's room. "I could use a cup of tea to settle my stomach."

His long and hard stare made her feel nervous. With a barely visible shake of his head, he denied the request. "Not a chance I'm going that from you, babe."

"Do they have ginger ale in the vending machine?"

"We'll look on the way out." There was no give in his voice. He was as determined to keep her trapped in his sights as she was to escape him. "Don't make me wait too long."

"I wouldn't dream of it." With a carefree step, she rounded the curve of the wall, then peered around the corner. Through his damned glasses, his gaze was locked in on the entrance of the ladies room. Behind her the women with purple hats gathered around the sinks. Their cheery voices bounced against the tiles. She could slip into the middle of the group as they were leaving. Matt would spot a sea of purple and yellow and she'd swim out lost among them. Would the ladies notice one more person on the tour bus?

The older women headed for the entrance. Just as she was about to join the group, someone bumped into her. Mimi's arms automatically reached out to the tiled wall to catch herself from falling.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the thin woman said. "I didn't see you there."

"It's all right." Distracted, Mimi glanced at the group. She only had a few seconds more to make her escape. "I'm fine."

Mimi pushed herself off the wall. A heavy, creamy colored envelope fell from her leather bag. "Miss, you dropped something."

Hands dripping with water, the woman ripped a length of paper towel from the holder and shook her head. "No, it's not mine."

Mimi turned over the envelope and glanced down at the name. "Are you…"

She sucked in a small gasp and ran a finger over the brown calligraphy ink that turned her name into a work of art. Where did this come from? The paper was damp under her fingers, as if it had absorbed moist in sea air. Sister Berta must have tucked a note in her bag.

She looked up in time to realize she missed her opportunity to escape. The old ladies had left and Matt was still outside.

Desperately needing a few minutes to think, she slipped into a stall and locked the door. She dragged a finger under the flap and opened the envelope. Sister Berta's words of encouragement would settle her nerves. Her gaze traveled to the end of the page looking for the curvy angel doodle that always graced Sister Berta's notes. Her heart sank.

Michael's name contaminated the expensive paper, and his heavy energy crawled under her skin like a poisonous rash. She leaned on the wall for support as she started to read the letter.

_My Dearest Mimi,_

_At a time like this, who can you trust? The WSP inspector assigned to keep you safe? Check his bank account, my dearest, and you'll see how well he's being paid to betray you._

_Your childhood friends? Your friend, Sora, has a crusade to mount now, doesn't she? And crusades are always expensive. Ask her how many cases she handled this year. Ask her about her expenses. Ask her how she's making ends meet. The answer will surprise you. Did you know that she used your name to get her way?_

_Your Yamato is a man on a mission. On the surface, you're his mission. But ask yourself what is more important to him, you or keeping up his image? He can live without you. He's proven that over the past ten years. But he cannot live without the weight of his title. He ran from Odaiba and when things get tough, Yamato Ishida runs. Can you trust that he won't run when you need him most?_

_Don't be foolish enough that Seekers Inc. can protect you. One of them is ready to use you as bait. Their deaths will be on your conscience._

_You are mine. Nothing can keep us apart. I will find you wherever you go. I have never shown you anything but the utmost respect. I have loved you and cherished you. I gave my soul to you. I am ready to give you the world and I will stand by you when you need me._

_In just a few more days we can put this misunderstanding behind us and live the life that is our fated destiny together as a man and wife._

_Remember, Mimi, there is no one you can trust except me._

_All my love,_

_Michael_

"Mimi?" Matt's voice echoed against the tiled walls of the bathroom and made her jump. "If you're not out here in ten seconds I'm coming in after you."

"I'm almost done." She folded the letter back in its envelope and put it in her bag. At the sink she splashed cold water on her face and pasted on a smile, then strode out of the ladies room.

"Everything all right?" Matt asked. His damn sunglasses hid his eyes, but his burning gaze studied every inch of her for signs of distress. "You still want that soda?"

"Yes, thank you."

Matt lead her to the vending machine, put coins to the slot and handed her a can of Sprite…it was the closest thing to her request. Their fingers touched against the cool can. His grip on the can stayed firm and his mirrored gaze seemed to reach all the way down to her soul. "I can keep you safe, Mimi."

When she didn't respond, he let go. The nightmare wasn't going away. Michael didn't love her. He didn't cherish her. He didn't have her best interest at heart…only his own. She had no illusions that if she gave in to his demands, she would wake up six feet under.

Still, he was good at using people's weaknesses to his advantage. He was a master manipulator. How much of what he'd written about Phil, Sora, and Matt was true? How much was scare tactic? How long will Michael torture her conscience and emotions?

**

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure when I'm gonna update next, but I'll try to make it as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, just let me know. Lolz **

**Don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Finally, an update! Sorry for the long delay. Guess what? School's over and it's vacation time, but there's mo vacation for me. You see, I'll be taking summer classes not because I failed or anything. It's because I wanna get ahead and finish early. I know, I know, you don't have to tell me, it sucks! Instead of traveling to different places or relaxing and having a great time, I'm going back to school. One whole month in school where I have to go to class five days a week and four hours a day. What a fun summer vacation for me, right?

Anyways, before I get too busy and go back to school, I'm giving you this update of S.J. I think you guys deserve a good reading for summer. Hopefully I won't be too busy so I can update, and hopefully (with my fingers crossed) finish this story. It's going to be a long one, that I tell you…hehehe! Now don't get too excited folks! Here's chapter nine…enjoy!

**Chapter Nine:**

Matt stole a glance at Mimi sitting next to him in the car. She held the can of Sprite with both hands and stared at the unopened tab as if it was a missile detonator and the decision to destroy the state rested solely on her. She hasn't said a word in over twenty minutes. Ordinarily he'd just turn on the radio and leave her with her thoughts, but she already gone through so much. More than most men could take without breaking.

Matt knew she wanted to run back there. The crawl of spiders knitted a wed on the back of his neck. They started their frantic construction as soon as he shut off the engine and hadn't stopped until they were once again on the road. _Too bad, princess, you're stuck with me until the trial._

"Talk to me, Mimi."

She continued staring at the top of the can of soda. He switched to the middle lane to avoid the odd sensation of falling the rail gave him.

"If I ask you questions, will you answer with the truth?"

"Of course." _What's the catch?_

"No couching to protect me." A certain desperation furrowed her forehead and clouded the bright light that should shine from her eyes.

"I'll always protect you, Mimi, whether you want me to or not." He shot her a smile he'd once reserved just for her, the kind of smile that would provoke an answering grin no matter what her mood. "Talk to me?"

"Will you not ask me questions in return?"

Drawing tiny circles with his back teeth, he stared at the white lines on the road. What was he agreeing to? A debating team took up sides in his head. After a minute neither side had him convinced, so he went with neutral. "I'm not sure I can promise that without more information."

She shook her head, returned her gaze to the soda can and picked the tab with an elegant fingernail. "You're worse than the company lawyers. Listen, answer, and don't question. Okay?"

He took in a breath. To get something, he was going to have to give a little. Getting past Mimi's barrier was more important than satisfying his curiosity. The pro side won…for now. "Okay."

"Why did you leave Odaiba?"

How could this be relevant to the current situation? "I just thought there was more for me out there. I wanted something more, Mimi, something I couldn't get here in Odaiba."

"Like what?"

He shrugged, staring at the traffic in front of him. What was it he wanted? A sense of accomplishment? Control? Putting feelings into words wasn't his specialty. "What I found at Seekers."

"The people at Seekers…do you trust them?"

By the dim light of the dashboard he studied her with his peripheral vision…the pale skin, the messy look, the desperation. Was she finally realizing she had no choice but to trust him? "With my life."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"How close are you to these people?" She licked her dry lips but didn't crack the tab that could quench her thirst. "I mean, would any of them admit if they did something wrong?"

"Like what?"

A sigh escaped her and her shoulders slumped as if she was deflating. "I don't know. Something that might make them betray one of the team?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if I was in a tough situation, I'd want a Seeker watching my back."

She nodded but nervously rocked the can of soda between her palms. The rumble of the engine growled between them, a pulse beating out the tension of their silence.

He rolled his tongue in his mouth and did his best to swallow his impatience. "What's going on, Mimi?"

A crinkle of painful lines radiated from her eyes as she moved her shoulders forward. "I can't go with you to Seekers Inc."

"It's the safest place there is."

"Michael is going to kill all of you. I can't have that in my conscience. It's too crowded already."

"Meems…"

"No, listen to me." Her head jerked up and her eyes were alight with a gold fire that pulsated with cold fear instead of warmth. "My father is dead. Three policemen are dead. The captain is dead. Michael won't stop until he gets me, and he knows where we're going."

Matt gritted his teeth. "He can't know."

"He told me."

Matt's head snapped in her direction. The phantom spiders at the back of his neck went on overdrive. The car next to him honked as his corvette drifted into its lane. "When?"

Mimi set the can of soda aside, went through her bag and took out a cream-colored envelope. "He left this for me."

"Where?" How was it possible for Sheer to get anywhere close to Mimi? How did Matt miss it? He promised to keep her safe. How the hell was he supposed to do that id he couldn't even see his prey? Maybe Tai was right to question his ability to do this job.

"I'm not sure, but I found it while I was in the bathroom."

He mentally kicked himself. He should have gone in with her. "Read it to me."

She did and with each venomous word scratched by Sheer's pen, Matt's temper rose a degree. By the time she finished reading, he was just shy of boiling over. Hand clawed around the steering wheel, he modulated his voice. _She's afraid, soothe her._ "He's lying, Mimi."

She folded the note back into its envelope and thrust it into her bag. "Maybe some of it, but you have to understand that he's an expert manipulator. Flaws and weaknesses are his tools of choice."

"He's manipulating _you_ with his lies."

"Sora hasn't been herself in a long time," she said. "And how come Phillip McNair wasn't killed when three men were? For all I know, something or someone's giving out information. How can you be one hundred percent sure about everyone who works on the Seekers team?"

"Michael is using your fears to get you to do what he wants. If you're running, it's easier to get you."

"I don't care, Matt. All I have is your word. I can't take that chance. I'm not going where I don't feel safe, and I won't feel safe at Seekers. Not knowing Michael knows where I am, I'm not going there."

"You don't have a choice, princess." _You find her and you bring her in. Is that understood?_ Matt gave his word.

"I'd rather die than give Michael a reason to kill more people."

Her hand curled around the door handle, and the spiders at his neck went wild again. For once he wished he'd gone for a late-modeled car with all the bells and whistles to lock her in, instead of a classic like his Corvette with everything manual.

"You keep going to where Seekers is and I swear to God I'll open this door and jump out."

She wouldn't…she couldn't. All he had to do was to calm her down. "Meems…"

"Stop the car, Matt, because I'm getting out." The confidence of her tone surprised him. So did the lock that unhooked with a pop.

"Close the door." They were in the middle of traffic. She wouldn't get out. She was trying her hand at some Sheerian manipulation.

"Not unless you stop the car."

"I'm in the freakin' middle lane. There's traffic all around us. You'll get yourself killed."

She reached to unclip her seatbelt. Swearing, he put his hand over the buckle, squeezing her hand to keep her from pressing her fingers on the release. She let go of the door and it rattled against the frame. With traffic on both sides, he couldn't maneuver to the shoulder of the road. She hooked the leather bag at her feet into her hand and slammed it into his fist until his knuckles bled. Before she broke a bone, he let go. "All right, you win."

Her breathing was a jagged rush. Her eyes were wide and wild. She was so wound up, he was afraid she'd spring out from adrenaline overload.

"Stop the car."

"I said you win. I'll drive through the damned tolls."

"Stop the car now!"

"We're in the middle of traffic."

She reached for the door again. "Stop the damned car, Yamato!"

"Fine!"

He tapped the brakes, warning the car behind him. He turned on the hazard lights for good measure. She'll soon realize how stupid she was acting. "We've stopped, now close the door."

"Not until you promise that you won't take me to Seekers."

"It's the safest place for you, but if…"

Before he could finish, she opened the door and got out. Traffic buzzed around her in a flurry of dizzying headlights, honked horns and raised fingers. Careful of the traffic, he went after her. She strode down the middle lane of the freeway as if she were on an empty country road outside of Odaiba.

"Mimi!"

She looked at him, her face filled with rage, her fists tight at her side. The steady beam of his headlights made shadows across her body, sharpening her cheeks, chiseling her chin and giving her face a hard edge. That hardness scared him more than any special operation he participated in.

"I've had it," she said. "I am so mad! I've had it with lies and threats and death. I've had it with people who think they know what's good for me. My father didn't know. Michael doesn't know. And you certainly don't. Did any of you bother consulting me before you made plans? No! You all just assumed I'd want what you want. Well, guess what? I don't want to be the good little girl anymore. I don't want to pretend I'm somebody else. I don't want to go to Seekers. I just want my life back. Is that too much to ask?"

He reached out to her, desperate to hold her and pull her to safety. She stepped back, clutching her leather bag to her chest. The diamond-and-topaz ring on her finger glared a cautious warning. _She needs reassurance, Matt. Give it to her._

"No, Mimi, it's perfectly normal. But these aren't normal circumstances. You said you didn't want anyone else's death in your conscience. If you don't testify, then you could have the deaths of thousands of soldiers weighing on you. Seekers can keep you alive so you can get your life back. I can keep you safe until the trial. You just have to trust me."

She shook her head. "Michael knows where I'm going. He knows where to find me. I can't go there, Matt." Even in this humid weather and wearing a fleece vest, her body shivered. The thought that Michael could locate her terrified her to the core. In this state, would she throw herself into traffic rather than walk into a place that would petrify her every second of every day? Seven days of this could leave her unfit to testify. And wasn't that the ultimate aim?

"Okay, I hear you. No Seekers." He heard a siren coming. "Now get back in the car before we get arrested for obstructing traffic."

There was enough doubt rolling around in his head about Seekers Inc. that he could give her a temporary reprieve until he checked out the situation. He weighed his options and came up with an intermediate plan. "I know where we're going."

He offered her his hand once more. This time she took it. He used up half a lifetime of restraint to control his urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her how much she scared him. But he couldn't let her see how scared he was. _Never let them see you sweat._

"Where are we going?" she asked as she stepped shakily back in the car.

"Don't worry, you'll find out soon."

"You're not taking me to Seekers, right?" she gave him a pleading look.

He gave a reassuring smile. "I promise, I'm not taking you to Seekers." _A promise he will keep._

* * *

**AN: **Have you ever experienced this rush of adrenaline where you're so in overdrive you have no idea what you're doing? Whoa, Matt got his hands full with this girl...hehehe. Where do you think Matt's taking her? Hopefully not Seekers...right? right? Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Now don't forget to review! I'll make another update as soon as I can.

**Don't forget to review! Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

Hi guys! Remember me? lolx…SO sorry for the very loooong wait…I apologize for not updating sooner and making you wait for so long. Sad to say, there came a time in my life when I thought of quitting this work, but I guess time just gave me a really long break to think it out. Now that I'm back, it only shows how much I missed writing. So many things happened to me during that span of time…hmm, come to think of it, I can make it a story if I write it down. But of course, I'm not gonna do that since it's my private life…hehehe! Sorry guys…just enjoy chapter 10!

**Chapter Ten:**

Mimi studied Matt's every move. When he noticed her looking at his hands, he tossed her his cell phone and continued driving. She held on to the slim phone with both hands, as if it were a symbol of his trust. _Would he keep his word? Would he take her somewhere safe? Or is this a long road to Seekers?_ She wasn't sure how far she could trust him and the uncertainty plagued her with an odd mixture of guilt and regret.

The first thing Matt did when they got to Odaiba was arrange for a parking stall for his car. He paid for a month in advance to ensure its safety and mooned over his goodbyes to his precious car as if he were abandoning a child. What was it with guys and their cars?

"What are we doing at a hotel?" Mimi asked with fear. "I don't think this is a good idea. What if someone finds out and…?"

"It's temporary, Mimi. We have to stay somewhere tonight and make a plan."

"That way we're unpredictable…"

"And a moving target. Right now we can't use a credit card. We don't have much money. We – "

"Okay, I get it. We need a plan." A hitch of hesitation had her flipping open and closing the cover to Matt's cell phone.

"I know someone here who can hook us up. She's a good friend of mine and I trust her."

"What if she's not here?"

Matt flashed her a heart-stopping smile. "Kari is Tai's younger sister and he jokes that his sister loves her job so much she never missed a day's work. Kari is totally different from her brother, not to mention sleek, sexy, and sophisticated."

"I heard that," an amused voice said.

Matt turned and beamed his charm at the petite young woman who materialized behind the desk. Leaning across the desk, she pecked a kiss on Matt's cheek. "But since it's coming from you, I'll take it as a compliment."

"I meant it as a compliment. How are you, Kari?"

Her smile lit all the way to her eyes. "I love my job so much I never missed a day's work."

Matt leaned in to Kari as if she was the center of the world and both of them shared a good laugh. Mimi tried to brush away the unwarranted barb of jealousy. How well did Matt know this Kari? Is she just a friend or more than that?

His lips brushed too close to Kari's ear. "We need a room and some silence."

Kari's eyes shot up. "You mean I get to know something that Tai doesn't?"

"Something that Tai can't find out."

"Ooh," she crooned, as if having something on her brother was a mouthwatering treat. She checked the computer for records and reservations. "We're pretty full, but I can sneak you in one of the smaller suites. It has one king size bed and a separate sitting area with a sofa bed."

"That's perfect, Kari."

His smile practically made Mimi gag. _Pulling it on a little too thick, aren't you?_

"Don't worry, I got you covered. I entered you as Mr. and Mrs. Adams." Kari's smile glowed with delight.

"I owe you big time."

She escorted them to the elevator and after a few more sweet exchanges, Kari gave Matt her phone number, told him to call if he needed anything and said goodbye. The trip to their room was pretty quiet. Mimi preferred to walk alone so Matt walked ahead and lead the way.

Matt stood in the doorway. The expression on his face was black – as if talking to Kari used up all his charm for the day.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" She gestured to the room. "There's enough room for both of us."

A muscle in his jaw twitched. He couldn't come in. Mimi realized what she was asking him to do…choose between his loyalty to Seekers or her.

"Go home, Yamato. You don't belong here."

He flinched. Of course, that was the wrong thing to say. He thought she meant here in this fancy hotel room. What she meant was she seemed to attract death. No matter how good he made himself look on the outside, the little boy in him still wore simple clothes and lived in a middle class home. None of that mattered to her, but he never believed her – especially after she refused to go away with him to many years ago.

"You know I can't," he said. "I promised to bring you back and keep you safe. If you won't go to Seekers, someone has to watch out for you." And Yamato Ishida always kept his word.

She didn't want to see him hurt. She didn't want to need his help or protection. But she did. Having a hunter on her trail was hard enough to deal with. Two equally determined ones would be too much, which left her no choice at all. She had to be sure of something, of someone, or she wouldn't get through this with her sanity intact.

She stared at Matt, at his unflinching determination and unseen hesitation. Does he think he's obliged to be loyal to her because he still had feelings for her? A stab of sorrow bit into her chest.

The trial started in seven days. Seven days to hide and stay alive. "Come on in, Matt, and close the door."

He let go of the door frame. His hands hung at his sides for a long moment, and then he stepped inside the room.

She wanted to cry.

Matt would have to call in at work, but he wanted a firm plan of action first - a way to let Tai know that he was still performing his duty to Seekers Inc. The important thing was to keep Mimi alive to testify. He didn't lie to Mimi when he said he found what he needed at Seekers. What's important to him was important to them too. They shared the common goal of recapturing fugitives and putting them back behind bars where they belonged. Bending rules and cutting corners came with the job. To buy himself some time, he ordered soup and sandwiches from room service.

While they waited for the food, Mimi walked around the room. Out of habit he grabbed two empty glasses from the mini bar and placed them on the windowsill and closed the curtains, shutting out the view of the harbor. Not that anyone would climb the smooth outside wall to set off his cheap alarm.

After room service left, he made sure that everything was safe so he wouldn't have to worry about intrusion from adjoining rooms. He turned to the inside of the room and realized that the world now contained only him and Mimi. The fact she was sitting on the king-size bed with its pile of silver and blue pillows wasn't helping. He could tell himself all day long that Mimi was just a friend, but his body wanted her in a way that had nothing to do with friendship.

As if sensing the treacherous turn of his thoughts, Mimi got up and pushed the room service cart to the sitting area. "So…where do we start?"

"With Sheer." Matt took a seat at the opposite end of the coffee table.

"How is that going to help us with a plan to hide for the next week?"

"We need to know who's running after you."

"That's easy," Mimi munched her French fries. "Michael."

"He's not working alone, though. He might be behind bars, but someone's doing his dirty work on the outside."

"How do we find that out?"

"Tell me about him."

She stared at him long and hard. Her trust didn't extend more than an arm's length. She feared betrayal.

"I need to understand what Michael's capable of," Matt said. "What he's comfortable with."

She ate another fry. "You want to know everything?"

"Something like that." Matt concentrated on his sandwich. How could the chef have managed to turn something as simple as two slices of bread, roast beef, provolone, and mustard into something so complicated?

She swirled her fry in a bowl of ranch dressing. "I don't know him that well."

Her reluctance to look directly at him and her jerky movements denied her words. "You were never good at lying."

"I'm not lying."

"Tell me what you know. It's the details that can make or break a case."

"It's not that simple."

"Relationships never are."

"No, they aren't."

Was that regret in her voice? Was she thinking back to when she walked away from him? He didn't expect her to remain single for the one true love that got away. Not when she made it clear he wasn't the one for her. But he thought about her often. "I'm not here to judge, Mimi, only to understand."

She pressed her lips tightly together and the flickering tension in her eyes shot through him like a thousand knives. He didn't like the feeling so damned twisted around her. _Come here, Mimi, let me hold you. Everything's going to be all right. I promise._ But of course he couldn't – so he forced another bite of sandwich.

Finally she blew out a breath and shook her head. "Michael wants…I don't know. It's more than money. It's more than success. It's…" Frowning, she picked at this lead of lettuce sticking out from the crust of her sandwich.

"It's what?"

"I don't know, okay. Stop bullying me."

Bullying? Where did she get that? He was asking simple questions. "How did you meet him?"

Their stares met across the table. She needed someone to yank her out of the whirlwind her life had become and he was only dragging her deeper.

"I didn't meet Michael until after his father died. He was at the funeral. His father wasn't even buried yet when Michael informed my father that he was taking over his dad's position."

"Why didn't your father just tell him it's not possible?"

"Money. Michael wanted a more hands-on approach. He wanted changes that would bring on short-term gain but would hurt the company in the long run. My father saw the potential damage and argued against the changes. But in the end there wasn't much he could do. My father needed Michael's money. Michael knew my father's loyalty to his employees was his weakness and he used that to manipulate him." She made a face and pushed away her sandwich. "Then everything fell apart."

"How?"

She shook her head, tears were falling and her mouth opened as if breathing had suddenly become an arduous task. "Once Michael took over his father's office, he decided he also wanted me."

That piece of garbage made advances toward her? Matt's blood pressure rose. "How?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "You know."

Matt was going to kill that scumbag the first chance he got. "Is it sexual?"

Mimi sighed. "He was charming at first. He made me smile, you know. But I just ended a relationship and I didn't want to start a new one."

"He couldn't take no for an answer." Matt pushed aside the thought of Mimi in someone else's arms, someone else's bed, and someone else's heart. She wasn't his…never been his.

She dropped her gaze. "When I kept turning him down, he tried to intimidate me into marriage. He said he could hurt my father and turn him into dirt in front of his employees and drag his name and reputation through mud. So…I agreed to an engagement."

Matt swallowed a set of curses. Of course, Mimi hated conflicts. How could she have offered herself to that piece of garbage?

"I couldn't risk everything my father worked for," she said defensively. "I figured that if I held him long enough, my father would be able to buy Michael's share of the company. Then everything would go back to normal."

"Except it didn't."

Still refusing to look straight at him she said, "He was trying to pressure my father for a marriage merger so he could have everything."

"And when your father refused, Michael killed him."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry guys, but I have to stop it here. I'm trying to make it as thrilling as possible since it comes out that way. It's not much, but I hope you enjoyed reading

**Don't forget to review! Thanks!**

P.S. I'd like to thank all those people who read and keeps reading my other stories. THANK YOU


	11. Chapter 11

As I promised, here's another update! I know most of you are waiting for this, and I don't want to keep you waiting any longer. So here goes another thrilling chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter Eleven:**

"And when your father refused, Michael killed him."

Swallowing hard, she nodded. "After Daddy died, the scandal exploded, making it look as if he was the bad guy and not Michael."

Tears pooled in her eyes. "The police found Dad's body in the lake by the estate. He had incriminating evidence in his pocket. The water had washed away all the forensics and they said he killed himself in remorse."

Matt got up, yanked a tissue from the holder on the bedside table and dabbed at her tears. His fingers brushed the soft skin of her cheek and his libido soared higher than a rocket. Trying not to think of kissing her, of soothing her, of loving her, when she was so close and so sad, was like trying to ignore a blue elephant in the middle of the room.

He handed her a tissue, scooted back to his end of the table and chugged down his iced tea as if that was what he desperately needed. The ice cubes clinked against the glass when he set it back down. "What happened that put Michael behind bars?"

The tissue became confetti in her lap. "After I took the picture, I ran. I was afraid he'd kill me, too. That photo helped persuade them that Daddy was innocent, at least of suicide."

If something illegal was going on at the company, Matt had no doubt Michael was behind it. "We'll find all the proof you need. Who's running the company now?"

"Right now? The creditors are. They've appointed a temporary chief operating officer. But Michael wants control back. And I've instructed Dad's lawyers to do everything they can so he won't get it."

"Do you want to run the company yourself?" She'd be good at it.

She gathered the tissue confetti in the palm of one hand and then shook the pieces onto her plate. "I don't know. All I know is that it's a real mess and the employees are caught in the middle."

As much as he hated getting close to her, he crouched by her chair and held her hands. It was like holding a sparkler. His skin prickled and heated. "Mimi, I'm going to have to call the office. We need to get someone inside the company."

She shook her head. "The investigators have been through every inch of the company. They took away truckloads of paperwork. Production's been stopped and there's only a few number of employees working right now. If there was anything incriminating Michael, the investigators would have found it."

"Not necessarily."

"My evidence put him in jail for murder. My testimony could keep him there for the rest of his life. He didn't leave anything behind that would hurt his case."

Nor could Sheer afford to leave Mimi alive either.

Matt dug his hands into his pockets to stop them from reaching for the long silk of her hair. She wasn't his girlfriend. They burned that particular bridge many years ago. She was his job. _Keep your head together Ishida. Don't screw up._ "Someone like Michael has to keep records. It's the only way to prove how great he is…even if it's just to himself."

"Sora can help."

"Sora?"

"Yes, our dear friend, Sora."

He strode back to his own chair. Memories from the past came to him. Sora and Mimi were best friends and in order for Matt to get closer to Mimi, he befriended Sora. As they got closer, Sora started to like him and this is where everything got complicated. "What about her?"

"We should ask her to help us out. She can look into Phil's bank account."

"I know someone that can do that."

"Someone at Seekers?" Her hands pressed against the table as if she was about to run.

"Tai, Kari's brother." Matt would trust Tai over Sora any day of the week. Tai had no agenda and Sora always did.

"But what Tai works on might not be. You don't know who's working for Michael there. Who could be watching over his shoulder."

Matt hooked an arm around the chair's back. _Keep cool._ "Using that logic, you shouldn't trust Sora either. Michael didn't have anything good to say about her in his letter."

"Sora has problems, but she'd never side with Michael. He's never going to let me go and she gets that."

Implying he didn't. _I get it, Mimi._ What he didn't get was her running from sure safety into the open, where she was one trigger squeeze away from eternal sleep. "Sora doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

"She's hurt."

"I didn't mean to hurt her. You know I didn't feel the same way as she did to me. I didn't love her the way I loved y –" silence fell between them. How many times was he going to explain himself? "I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay."

Mimi sighed. "Do you know what happened to her?"

"How can I when she won't talk to me?"

Though Mimi couldn't see his eyes, he silently pleaded for understanding. He had to leave. He couldn't stay and make things difficult between Mimi and her best friend.

"You could've explained to her at least."

"I know I messed up, but I didn't want her to feel like she's not important to me. Believe me, she is, but not in the way she expects it to be. I left not just for the reasons between you and me, but because I didn't want yours and Sora's friendship to end because of me."

"It goes deeper than that."

He tossed his hands up. "Like what?"

"It's not my place to say."

"You started the conversation." And he'd give anything to stop it from going any further.

"We need Sora's help. We need to find out about Mcnair. We need to find out if someone inside Seekers is working for Michael. If someone is, then we can't trust anything anyone at Seekers says. And we can't do this alone."

She was right, of course. Tai maybe the head officer at Seekers and had sources Sora don't have, but until Seekers was cleared, they were better off using outside help. And for all Sora's anger at him, she would do her best to help Mimi. "All right."

Mimi bounced to her feet, reached for the leather bag on the desk and turned for the door. "Let's go."

"Whoa, not so fast." He held her back with a hand and ordered his thumb not to rub at the soft skin of her arm. After all she'd gone through today, the subtle scent of almonds and honey still perfumed her skin. "We can't go there. It's too predictable. One of Michael's men is likely parked close and watching the house."

He fished the piece of paper Kari had given him out of his pocket and dialed the number.

Alarm rippled in her voice as she gripped his arm. "Who are you calling?"

"Kari. We need transportation that nobody can trace. I can't use a credit card to rent and we don't have enough money between us to buy one."

Kari promised to make arrangements and have a car waiting for him in the morning. Just as he replaced the receiver down, ending his call with Kari, his cell phone – in Mimi's jacket – rang, making her jump.

* * *

"Ishida," Matt said into his cell phone, bracing himself for a verbal flaying. The rules at Seekers were loose, but Tai still expected a certain protocol for everybody's safety. 

"Where are you?" Tai's voice had a sharp edge of impatience to it.

"We ran into some trouble." _Great, Ishida, what a good excuse._

"What's your ETA?"

"Seven days," Matt said and tried to make it sound like seven hours.

There was a long is silence between them.

"Bring Ms. Tachikawa in tonight."

"No can do." No one was going to get to his golden girl if he could help it.

"Do I have to remind you what's at stake?"

Her life and the lives of witnesses who helped the police and investigators put that scum to jail. "I understand and she understands. But there's also the small matter of surviving until the trial."

"We're equipped to protect her."

"Give me a day to prove you right," Matt said.

"It's not time to play the hero."

"I'm no hero. I'm protecting your asset."

"Twenty-four hours, then I'm sending in Izumi."

Matt cut off communications before Tai could pinpoint their position. He pulled the battery out of the phone, effectively rendering the locator chip mute. He'd get a few hours sleep, then they'd have to disappear from both Michael's assassin and the Seekers team that had become his family.

* * *

The next morning, before dawn even thought about cracking, Matt woke up Mimi. She sat up for most of the night. Looking zoned out as a drug addict in the grips of a chemical high, she watched a marathon of old musicals with the sound down low. She stumbled to the bathroom to dress. When she emerged, they left the room. 

At the registration desk a perfectly groomed woman in a burgundy suit greeted them. With her black hair swept up, she looked almost as regal as Kari and was much too perky for the early hour. "What can I do for you?"

"You should have a message for me." He smiled at her and she smiled back, interest glinting above simple politeness. "Mr. Adams?"

Matt nodded. A quick check of the computer told her where to find the message. She reached under the desk, then handed him a fat envelope. "Here you go, sir. You have two messages."

He frowned. His fingers splayed the enveloped apart. Two? "Thanks."

He recognized Kari's bold script on the top envelope. As he tore open the envelope, keys dropped into his hand. The promised rental car was sitting in the parking garage, second level on B-27. The second envelope bore the handwriting of a grade school teacher and sent a snake of dread slithering in his stomach. "Who left this?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know. It was already there when I came on shift."

The note read, _"You had you chance. She turned you down. You can't win. She's mine. Ask her about our love child."_

**A/N: Should I stop from here? Or should I continue? Hmm… Oh all right, go on and continue reading. Lolx**

* * *

Mimi stood beside Matt as the descending elevator took them to the parking garage. The stark light of the small carriage emphasized the brows straightened into fierce lines above Matt's sunglasses. The taut set of his face could scare the biggest and baddest bouncers into submission. A pulse throbbed at his neck above the collar of his silver polo shirt. Why? Where was the sudden burst of anger coming from? Kari's note?

"You're going to blow up unless you let out some of the steam raising your blood pressure. What did the note say to upset you?"

He ignored her. The B-level light came on with a _bing_ and the elevator stopped. As the doors slid open, Matt said, "How come you're not married?"

Without waiting for her answer, he walked out of the elevator and started looking for the rented car. Her jaw dropped as she tried to catch up to him. "What made you ask that?"

"Ever thought of having children of your own? You're not worried about your biological clock ticking?"

Reflexively she moved her bag across her stomach. His tone of voice was definitely ticking her off. "Someday, but I'm not worrying about it too much."

"Why not?" Under the shield of his glasses, she suspected his eyes kept moving, searching for anything out of place.

"I have other things on my mind." She had one long-term relationship in college and another after. Both failed miserably. Some people weren't meant for marriage and she fell into that category.

"Why didn't you mention you were pregnant with Michael's child?"

Her step faltered. How did Matt know? The note! Michael would use that weakness against her. "Because it wasn't important."

"You had his child."

Something in her heart contracted. "I miscarried after Daddy died."

She barely knew she was pregnant before she lost the baby. How could something that was too small to feel have caused such a thick catalog of emotion to flip through her in such a short time?

Pure hatred at Michael for manipulating her into a position she wanted to avoid.

Pure love for the tiny seed that would grow into a baby - her baby.

She felt a cold emptiness and deep longing for that lost chance at motherhood. Her chest heaved and she held back tears. It didn't matter now. What made her think she could raise a child on her own? It was better this way. She could never take her hatred of the father out on the innocent child.

"Did he…?" Matt's steel-hard voice penetrated the bumper of pain surrounding her like a bruise.

"Rape me?" She shook her head and held her bag tightly to her belly. "No."

"Then you…?"

They found the car and she averted her gaze, searching for the passenger door handle. "It's really none of your business."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

Holding her car door open, he looked down at her expectantly. Not knowing what to do with the humiliation squirming through her body, she wrapped and rewrapped the strap of her bag around her hands. Silence pressed around her, becoming a vacuum that demanded filling.

"I was at one of those company events with Daddy." Her tongue was so tied, the words folded thickly in her mouth. "I drank too much and one thing led to another." She shrugged a shoulder carelessly, trying to dislodge the lingering stain of shame. "I don't even remember what happened, except that I woke up with Michael in his bed." With Michael's face hovering above hers and his body possessively pinning her under him. _You're mine now._ And the smile he beamed frightened her to the core.

"You don't remember?" Matt's hand tightened around the car door and his voice cut like a glass. "Did it ever occur to you that he might have drugged you?"

But she hadn't felt drugged, just hung-over. And she rubbed circles on her temples with the tips of her fingers. The echo of a headache pounded through her brain. "I never said no."

"But did you say yes?" Matt's hand palmed away the wetness on her cheek, and the tenderness in his voice brought on a fresh wave of sadness. "Mimi…"

"It's ancient history. The baby doesn't exist." She lost it in a strange city, among strangers, and didn't have enough time to mourn her lost before the WSP inspector dragged her to another town and left her to fend for herself. "We have more important things to worry about."

He tossed her the note. A savage fierceness growled through his voice. "You're right, but how did he find us?"

The single sheet of paper with the perfect handwriting trembled in her hands. Love child? A child had been created, but no love had been involved. "I – I don't know. Maybe Kari told her brother. Maybe we were followed." This wasn't her fault. She didn't ask for any of this. All she wanted was to stay hidden long enough to testify at the trial and regain control of her life. "How should I know? You were the one with the plan?"

Matt settled in the driver's seat. "We can't go to Odaiba. It's too dangerous. If someone followed us here, they could follow us to Sora's house."

She cradled her bag on her lap and looked straight ahead. His plan didn't work. They were going to try hers. "Then I guess you need to make sure we're not followed."

**A/N: There you go. That's as far as I can write. There's more coming up on the next few chapters, so don't worry. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much I did.**

**Will they get to Sora's house in time? Or will Michael's henchman catch them? Stay tuned!**

**And don't forget to review! Thanks!**


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